'Just bring hope' St. Pius X group offers encouragement to hurting people

January 26, 2006|KIM KILBRIDE Tribune Staff Writer

A group of seven volunteers from St. Pius X Catholic Church in Granger recently traveled to a hurricane-ravaged community in Mississippi to lend a hand. In the end, they said, what mattered most wasn't the help they offered, but rather the hope they brought to hurting, displaced residents of the coastal city. Several members of the St. Pius group got together recently to recount their experience. Bill Young and Mary Brueck, two members of the group, traveled in October to Pass Christian, Miss., to deliver a truck -- donated by a St. Pius parishioner -- to a family that was in desperate need of a vehicle. While there, Young said, they tried to make as many contacts as possible for their next trip. "We asked what we should bring," he said. "They said 'Just bring hope.' " And so the group of seven -- willing to help in virtually any way they could -- headed out by car on New Year's Day for the 17-hour journey. While in Pass Christian, they performed a variety of tasks, from picking up trash to hanging drywall to digging foundations for new sidewalks. The group stayed at Camp Hope, a non-denominational organization that offers volunteers three meals a day and a bed to sleep in for a donation of $15 a day. Among other things, they helped rebuild St. Paul School, which is now combined with St. Thomas School and is located in a former roller rink. In this town of some 7,000, the devastation was tremendous, Young said. Jon Housand said he'd hoped to work with a family. "There were no families, though," he said. "Because there were virtually no houses." Despite the destruction to the area, the St. Pius group said the attitude of the people of Pass Christian was positive. "There was no electric. . . no utilities. . . but the residents we encountered, their spirit was phenomenal," said Terry Essig. The Granger group was also inspired by the number of volunteers from different churches and different religions working side by side to help the Pass Christian community. The seven returned a week later feeling grateful for all of their own personal blessings, but also full of hope because of the high spirits they'd encountered from people who had seemingly lost everything. Many say they're already making plans to return. For anyone, regardless of faith or church affiliation, contemplating making the trip to offer help, Housand has a message. "There's work to be done."Staff writer Kim Kilbride: kkilbride@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6112